ANDERSON — Think back to the buzz in 2006 when Nestlé announced it would build a factory on vacant farm land and create 350 new jobs.

New businesses seem to get all the attention, but their not the source of most new jobs.

The city’s economic development staff says that in any community 75 percent of new job come from existing companies. And a new outreach program is meant to keep established firms operating smoothly and hopefully help them expand.

“Attraction is hard,” said Anderson spokeswoman Tammy Bowman, who co-presented the existing businesses initiative at a Kiwanis International meeting last week. “And that makes it even more important to focus on these existing businesses that we have here.”

Bowman and economic development specialist Karen Pettigrew will speak to other community groups about the initiative in coming weeks.

They and other city workers, including Mayor Kris Ockomon, began the existing business initiative by meeting with large firms on the city’s north side and by “blitzing” smaller companies with short introductory meetings and hand-delivered information.

Pettigrew said she’s met with more than 20 business people like McCarty and was reassured to hear that most of them are doing OK despite some economic challenges.

“Most of them are feeling the economy somewhat,” she said. “Gas in particular is affected every business.”

Mesha McCarty, who opened an insurance office on the city’s north side seven years ago, met with city officials on Thursday.

With so much attention going to new businesses on the south side, she said, it’s nice for other areas to know they haven’t been forgotten.

“There are so many talented small-business owners,” McCarty said. “If someone is opening a business, they would want to emulate those people.”

The city will host an open meeting for northside businesses July 9 at the Community Hospital Education Center Cross Room, 1923 N. Madison Ave. Officials plan to then move to other parts of the city, meeting with business owners and holding similar meeting. Their intent is to focus on five geographic areas for a few months every year.

The city is also collecting survey from employers, learning and their size, challenges and future plans.

The goal, Bowmen said, is to “predict the future.” The city wants to know a business is struggling and hopefully step in before it must close.

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